Accessories

ACCESSORIES Testbench

Kase Wolverine Magnetic Circular Filters Case Andy Westlake tests a brilliant set of  lters that attach to your The leather-look case has five slots filters, and a brass for attaching it to for clip a The Lens cap metal lens cap is lens magnetically bag or strap. lined with felt scratching your to avoid lens’s front ● £235 ● kasefi lters.com element. I found it came off a little too easily. SOMETIMES it’s the naming that annoys me. Call your product after a notoriously ferocious predator, as  lter maker Kase has done with its Wolverine range, and it just seems like you’re trying too hard. My natural, perhaps overly cynical instinct is to dismiss them on the spot, as likely to be sheep in wolves’ clothing. Thankfully, though, I gave these  lters the bene t of the doubt, and agreed to try them out. Because it turns out they’re the real deal. Indeed as high quality, easy-to-use  lters go, they’re absolute monsters.

The concept is deceptively simple. Screw an adapter ring into the front of your lens, to which the super-slim  lters snap  rmly into place magnetically. The circular polariser can be rotated freely on this GOLD magnetic mount, negating the need for a rotary frame. Once positioned, an ND  lter can simply be stacked Adapter on top, again holding  rmly in place. Cleverly, the rings  lters can’t be mounted the the magnets will repel each wrong other way if you around; try, so Stackable You’ll probably a magnetic ring want to get for each of the  lters won’t hold in place. You can use an ND your lenses. They’re available

It’s hard to convey just how quick this and a polariser at the in all sizes from 49mm to approach is, compared to laboriously same time, with the 82mm, for £12 each. screwing  lters into lens threads. Filters latter going closest become much quicker and easier to use, to the lens. which encourages you to use them creatively. The design means that there’s no chance of light leakage ruining your shots when using strong neutral densities, either. Optically, the  lters are superb, with barely any discernible impact the only artefacts I saw from on image their use quality. Indeed were some At a glance small additional  are spots when shooting directly into the sun. The ND  lters are as neutral as they ● Magnetic filter set could possibly be, so you won’t have to correct any ● Includes polariser, 3-stop unpleasant colour casts in raw processing. I didn’t ND, and 6-stop ND see any troublesome vignetting when stacking a ● Magnetic lens cap polariser and ND either, even on the Laowa 15mm F2 ● Carry case included Zero-D ultra-wideangle prime.

Verdict When a clever idea comes along you wonder why everyone else isn’t doing it. Kase’s Wolverine circular  lters  t right into this category, as they’re so quick and easy to use, with excellent results. As always there are compromises: the adapter rings add awkward bulk to small lenses if you choose to leave them attached, block the use of hoods and your lenses’ original caps, and don’t accommodate graduated  lters. But if you can live with that, they’re an excellent option, particularly when you want to carry minimal kit.

KITS AND SIZES

Kase’s Magnetic Circular kits come in three sizes; 77mm, 82mm, and 95mm for use with ultra-wide lenses. Stepping up to the Professional kit adds a 10-stop ND filter, but at a significant premium. Prices range from £220 for the 72mm Entry Kit up to £395 for the 95mm Professional Kit.